Should we be discussing and writing down personal difficulties of students who are dropping or at risk? My students have described situations involving custody of children, child support, marital difficulties, and (most worrisome) the details of medical conditions. I think HIPAA in particular is important here, and I will not discuss the details of medical conditions and how the condition impairs the student's ability to "participate or get dropped". Is anyone else faced with this dilemma?
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No. I mean HIPPA. As a responsible clinician, I will not disclose sprivate sudent health information disclosed to me during outreach. What is CCi going to do, require me to take furlough, no pay? Fine. Let me know when it is my turn to tell the Feds what went down here.
Do you mean FERPA?
Instructors and other personnel are not bound by HIIPA, but they are bound by FERPA, if that's what you're referring to. I've had students share tons of personal information about their difficulties with me, but I don't know if any other faculty or advisor is aware of it.
Instructors do NOT drop students, at least online. OP sounds like an instructor. We have no access to personal or attendance records. We can't take it change attendance. I think OP was referring to what she was told, not what was confirmed.
And when you get hammered about your drops and accused of not building relationships with students and the personal information is demanded by a person in a position in power, how do you answer? Are you the maverick or the mushroom?
You're not a health care provider, so you're not bound by HIPAA. You ARE bound by guidelines set out by your accrediting body, your employer, and the Department of Education concerning privacy of student records. If a student revealed that he was dropping because of a medical condition, you can enter that into a required database. I always avoided entering details into the sort of unsecure database that any regular instructor could access. If someone says they've missed class because they're recovering from an abortion, there's no need to enter the details (yes, I've had a student tell me that).
Good question (not, but good phishing. I bet you are a masterbaiter). CCi employees are responsible for protecting student privacy. Health information is in the spotlight and we shouldn't be discussing specifics or entering specifics into whatever cybervacuum database dujour. If a student has needs to drop due to a medical, financial, or other private condition, we should do it within the required time frame.
I seriously doubt they are worried about student medical conditions. How is it illegal to have a medical condition and go to college?